By Fatou Sillah
The Chairman of the Brikama Area Council (BAC), Yankuba Darboe, has pledged to implement stringent fire prevention measures in Brikama Market. These measures will be incorporated into the reconstruction of the Sandika, ensuring improved safety standards such as adequate spacing between shops and the installation of high-quality electricity meters.
“When we are constructing the Sandika again, we will make sure that the shops have space so that fire will not quickly transfer from one shop to the other, all those are measures we put in place spacing is one of our biggest challenges in Brikama because sometimes people tend to occupy tiny spaces just to sell, and those small spaces are always quick to transfer fire but if you have big space the fire will not transfer because of that,” he said.
He further assured that all newly constructed shops in Brikama Market will incorporate fire safety measures, including improved spacing and proper electrical installations.
“All the new shops we build all have space, and they are not close to each other, which helps to prevent fire. If the fire is caused by electricity, we will make sure we put good electricity meters there. If you say a meter is expensive, but when your shop caught fire, that will bring more lost than buying a good electricity meter. If we have good meters, that will prevent future fire outbreaks,” he said.
Chairman Darboe also revealed that the council will investigate the cause of the recent fire incident and conduct routine inspections to ensure store owners use proper electrical meters.
“If we know the course of the fire, we put safety measures in place because in 2023 around the magistrate court, there was a fire. We later realized that it was caused by the NAWEC meter, but NAWEC said a lot of people were doing illegal connections and some were using faulty electrical connections; we later advised the people,” he said.